Slashdot Mirror
Iran Tries To Pacify Protesters With Lord of The Rings Marathon
Iranian state television's Channel Two is playing a Lord of the Rings marathon in an attempt to keep people inside watching hobbits and not protesting in the streets. Normally, people in Tehran are treated to one or two Hollywood movies a week, but with recent events the government hopes that sitting through a nine-hour trilogy will take the fight out of most of the protesters. Perhaps this was not the best choice in films if you want your people not to believe that "even the smallest person can change the course of the future."
Bah, I didn't like those movies at all. If I was in Iran, I'd probably be so pissed off that they're showing me such garbage that I'd take to the streets and wreck at least a couple of cars.
Well, speaking for myself, I wanted to kill people on the exit from 2 out 3 of those movies, so this may not achieve the intended effect.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
Lord of the rings in the original farsi! Can someone tape it for me?
Since beer is already off the list for Iranians, that leaves only one option.
Maybe the Iranian censor board will be able to cut out anything unneeded and make the movies more compact and watchable. I love the movies, but they can induce numbness to the posterior if watched more than one at a time.
Where is my vo... Ooh! Legolas!
What kind of link is that? It brings me to Salon.com's main page.
I'll try anything once. Twice if it tastes good
It's probably in pan-n-scan too.
JIHAD!
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
Uh yea. Blatantly rig an election, and people tend to get pissed off. It's about more than just lining up in front of the cute little box. They had substantially more votes than people in more than 10(?) districts, and the race which was predicted to be very close, turned out to be a complete landslide. Every observer called the election rigged, even some of the internal ones.
And you're wondering why they're pissed?
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
"A day may come when the courage of men fails ... But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, men of ... Iran! Allahu Akbar!"
They should have showed 300 instead.
one islamic regime to rule them all
and scantily clad women.
You've said it!
You should see some of the new burqas and chadors they are shipping to the stores. Sexy as hell.
You can almost see the eyebrows.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
So the tyrants of Iran are blaming this whole mess on the American media, then they're tying to placate the protesters with American media? A movie trilogy about a bunch of people banding together to overthrow an evil tyrant no less. Nobody could draw parallels between things like the dark riders and the police riding motorcycles beating people with clubs.
The sense of irony is weak with the Iranian dictatorship...
And that was the last Terry Fox run I ever participated in.
After they saw how they lost sleeper cell after sleeper cell here in the US:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/after_5_years_in_u_s_terrorist
.
.
Doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, religion destroys spirituality
Iran is not a signatory to WIPO. They do not respect copyrights of works produced in other countries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_and_copyright_issues
Great choice, show everyone they need to stand up and fight against evil forces trying to gain power over everyone. Yes that'll really Pacify Protesters.
Perhaps tomorrow they can show everyone George Orwell's 1984.
http://iran.whyweprotest.net/news-current-events/2327-green-brief-8-a.html
1. The event of the day was the protest held at Baharestan Square in the late afternoon. Although the exact number cannot be fully known, my sources claimed somewhere between 5,000-10,000 people tried to join the rally. Things got violent when security forces that had been waiting there for hours moved in as soon as a small crowd had managed to gather. They used force to brutalize the protesters and scatter them faster then they could regroup. Police were also patrolling the areas around Baharestan and people were attacked even as they fled Baharestan and go to the outer edges of the area. This continued for at least two hours.
2. Force was utilized without discrimination; however, media reports about a complete massacre cannot be confirmed by my more reliable sources. What I can confirm is at least 3 people were killed; the police used batons to beat people quite viciously - leaving dozens injured, not just in Baharestan but also in the areas around Baharestan. Shots were also fired and at least 2 of the fatalities were as a result of gunfire. Tear gas was also used to disperse them. We cannot confirm the use of axes on protesters. It could have been isolated incidents. But a wide-spread use cannot be confirmed. There were reports of killings at Lalehzar as well. Lalezhzar is a park in Tehran which has been completely taken over by security forces and is being used as a quasi-de fact base. Pictures are scarce and videos cannot be confirmed at this point either. The police were checking cell phones throughout the area as well as in other parts of the city and deleting images or videos or confiscating the phone altogether.
3. The area was surrounded also by vans and cars belonging to the security forces. Injured protesters and those protesters the police could hold onto were promptly thrown into these vehicles and moved to undisclosed locations. It has been suggested that Evin prison is being used to house most of the prisoners, but the sheer number of protesters easily could mean that make-shift prisons have been built around Tehran to house these people. Some sources indicated as well, but this cannot be confirmed right away. Most shops around Baharestan were closed so people had nowhere to hide. Cell phone service was also jammed so no help could arrive for those stranded and the vicious and wide-spread beatings and arrests could continue.
4. The security forces were being heavily helped by helicopters. They flew all over the city and informed security forces of places where people had gathered. Security forces arrived in minutes and dispersed crowd. However, people were extremely persistent. Gatherings and small rallies took place in several places and the quicker they were dispersed the quicker more sprang up. This continued late into the night until people dispersed on their own. The sheer tenacity of the protesters is heartening and many twitter sources indicated that no matter what happens they will go to streets and protest. Hezbollah e Ansar were also spotted from time to time. Plainclothesmen also did their part of the arrests as they drove around the city in motorcycles.
5. There were also other arrests in Iran today. At least 70 university professors and other professionals held a meeting today with Mousavi at the end of which, all of them were arrested as they exited the meeting area. Reports also confirm that Mousavi's chief lawyer, Ardsher Amir Arjman has also been arrested. There is no real confirmation of whether Mousavi has been arrested or he's free. However, there are strong indications and SOME sources that claim he is currently under house arrest. For a partial list, please click here: List
Maybe the Iranians can figure out why Frodo didn't just ride the eagles to Mt. Doom in the first place.
This is my signature.
soid st egr.hyTa rsiugm usnin
Any questions?
their new hobbit overlord.
Oh wait! That's North Korea ... my bad!
Que Deus te de em dobro o que me desejas
[May God give you double that which you wish for me]
In Soviet Iraq, Saddam captures you?
From what I've heard, most people voted for a Star Trek marathon, not LOTR. The Guardian Council denies anything is wrong with the vote count, despite the official count being 17 billion votes for LOTR vs -8 for Star Trek.
I wonder if this is going to cause any trouble...
How about Star Wars then....
One does not simply Jihad into Mordor.
They had substantially more votes than people in more than 10(?) districts
Even the Guardian Council now concedes that the total number of votes cast exceeded the population in at least 50 cities. According to Iranian PressTV, it was "only 50" cities. Here's a glimpse of Iranian TV footage:
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2009/06/23/nasr.iran.tv.3.million.votes.cnn.html
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
Every observer called the election rigged, even some of the internal ones.
Russia has recognized the elections as fair.
In completely unrelated news, Russians have been campaigning for a return to the methods of Stalin. Not a joke.
Qxe4
Short Answer: Yes.
Long Answer: If you have to ask the above question then I suggest you re-read the definition of "Tyranny" http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tyranny.
I suspect that your original question was rhetorical, but look at the bright side. At least there are reports of arrests of Mousavi and Co. rather than just disappearances (although I'm sure those are happening also).
The sad truth is that in most of the rest of the world, revolution is the only effective means for a change of government. The advantage of Democracy (so far at least) as practiced in places like the U.S. is that it allows for changes in government to take place without the nasty "war-like" side effect that most revolutions entail. The down side is that changes are USUALLY slower to take place.
I hope that:
1) Iran transitions into a government that truly reflects the wishes of its people without bloodshed (alright, that moment is past. Without the need for FURTHER bloodshed).
2) The wishes of its people are for a government that will interact with the rest of the world in the tolerant and open fashion that the rest of the world has come to expect from most modern countries.
This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
That way, Frodo starts out near-death from exposure to the outside world, but ends up happy at home, blissfully ignorant of what's going on outside the shire, while his ancient and powerful Supreme Leader takes care of all that messy 'freedom' stuff....
- Despite popular opinion, I am not perfect.
Braveheart?
Two Rules For Success:
1) Never tell people everything you know.
Come on; it doesn't matter which U.S. state the film was made in; the point is it's all American media.
"One does not simply walk into Tehran..."
"The great "eye"atollah is ever watchful..."
"Riders! In burqas!"
"Do not meddle in the affairs of Muslims, for they are subtle and quick to anger"
"The battle for Iraq is over, the jihad for Middle-east is about to begin..."
"The bomb will not save Iran. It only has the power to destroy..."
"Authority is not given to you to deny the votes, Mahmoud" "The rule of Iran is mine! And no other's!
"In the land of Iran, in the fires of Mosque Doom..."
Perhaps this was not the best choice in films if you want your people not to believe that "even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
On the other hand, it does reinforce the notion that brown people are a fallen race of brutes that are incapable of even the most basic language, let alone organized self-government. If the Iranians start believing that canard, then there goes the revolution.
Then again, JRRT's solution is that a nice little white dude from England will come fix it up for you because he's so damned pure of spirit and incorruptible by evil (hah). Of course, he will bring with him some elves and dwarves (also white), a wizard with the surname "the white" and some other random white dude that claims the right to be King because his daddy was King and he has a nice looking sword (that apparently being a perfectly good reason to assert your right to absolute authority).
Somehow, I don't think the Ayatollahs want that conclusion sinking in either.
i agree with you except for this. our past and current interventions both in Iran and with its neighbors have directly contributed to the rise and sustainment of the current Iranian government.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ajax
"If still these truths be held to be
Self evident."
-Edna St. Vincent Millay
is the only movie that would have pushed the irony meter higher.
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Why "condemn" ? Yes, the people are ultimately responsible for their government. But condemnation is entirely unnecessary, and frankly degrading.
"In the absence of an external interfering force (e. g., army of the Soviet Union), the fate of a nation is determined by its people. Period. "
No country operates in a vaccuum. Period.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
Gee, a mythology where a theological figure falls from grace? That ONLY happens in Christianity!
No country operates in a vaccuum. Period.
Well, except for Moonistan.
The enemies of Democracy are